The opening scene was pretty good, the cheesy homage to the old 70's and 80's films and the original John Williams score.

Awesome to see they used old Marlon Brando footage for Jor-EL.

The big "Superman is Dead" headlines, an homage to the Doomsday storyline, was a cool "cameo".

Brandon Routh surprised the hell out of me. I thought he did a great job going back and forth between the gentle, nerdy, awkward Clark and Superman.

I didn't think I was going to like Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. I did.

Jimmy Marsden did a fantastic job in a civilian role, for once :-). It was nice to see him as just the regular old nice guy as opposed to the conflicted, always pissed, jealous (and for good reason) Scott Summers.

I thought the suit looked pretty good. While it may not look like the Superman I have in my mind (the one from some of the comic books and the JL cartoons where he looks like a bodybuilder), I thought Routh filled it out well enough for the movie. He actually looked pretty jacked when he was getting his ass kicked all over the place by Lex's men (despite the fact that he was getting his ass kicked all over the place by Lex's men, lol).

I'm a bit confused by something about his son. Well two things actually. One, wasn't there a storyline in the comic books where he could never have a child with a normal human, because of his, erm..."seed" being too powerful? Or is that just complete bullshit that I probably heard on some message board? And two, is his son impervious to kryptonite or not?! I never could tell...even when Lex was asking "Who is this boy's father?" and got close to him, it didn't seem to bother him all that much.

And on that note, am I the only one who was screaming to him/herself "Use your powers kid!!!" over and over, lol?

Was this storyline drawn from any of the comic books?

All in all a great movie. I still like Batman Begins better, but that's because a) it's more my kind of movie, dark and brooding (I know this movie was a bit darker than the old ones, but it's still nothing like BB), and b) I always liked Batman better as a kid anyway.

One thing I have to say, in light of the recent Supes vs. Bats thread is that, even though I like Batman better...if Super Son is indeed impervious to Kryptonite, then that opens up a whole new world of hurt for Batman in that argument :-).

I didn't like who they got to play Lois Lane. She looked too young and she didn't pull off "agressive and unstoppable" very well. Lois Lane is a hardcore character. Her father is a military general and she is pretty agressive.

I thought Routhe did a decent job but I still think his overall look was too soft. The costume looked better on screen, especially in close ups. It was like some kind of "super" Under Armour gear.

His son isn't from Krypton and is half human. That means he may have a totally seperate set of powers to go along with that apparent super strength he has.

As far as whether this is from the comics, I don't remember ever seeing a storyline where he had a kid. I also don't remember them ever even touching on whether he could actually get a woman pregnant.

That movie was filled with little clues from past comics and movies even down to how he looked when setting the car down on the ground. That was straight from the original comic book.

I liked Lex Luthor but they still keep making his character a little too "dumb". Luthor is future president and usually comes a little smarter in the comics lately. The best Luthor I've seen is still the guy in the show Smallville. No one has done that character better than that.

Overall, I liked what Singer did. Routhe still looked soft though as far as his overall look, but at least they made flying look better than it has been done before. I was kind of worried after seeing the Matrix sequels. I didn't know how they would top that. Apparently, the key is to actually make it more graceful.

I agree with you Prof. Lois should have been more of a nail. Routh however, I think did a fantastic job. I hope to see several more Superman movies in the future. I liked this film so much that I am trying to get my wife to go again tomorrow!

I'm a huge superman fan, but so many things distracted me from enjoying the movie fully. I thought the writing was piss poor (plot-wise, not dialogue-wise). Here are (more than) a few things that really bothered me:

1) Lex Luthor marries some rich chick, gets her to sign a will on her death bed, and then the entire family just rolls over while he claims everything as his own? There would be probate, court battles, etc. Just witness the current Anna Nicole Smith debacle.

2) Why are the kryptonians incapable of building a spaceship that can freakin land? It makes a little more sense that it would crash when he was a baby, but for god's sakes he's a grown man in this thing. He should've landed it or punched out and flown down to earth.

3) Why in the hell was he wearing glasses as a kid?

4) The effects of kryptonite were so inconsistent. Apparently if he walks on it, Lex Luthor can beat him up. But if he carries it on his shoulders, he can still boost a whole freakin continent into space (with a shard of it inside of him, no less). Yeah... THAT makes sense.

5) The whole hospital thing was retarded. The moment that last kryptonite was out of his body, he would've started healing and his coma would be gone in about 30 seconds flat. Just witness how quickly he recovered in the sea plane.

6) It is completely out of character for Superman to ditch Lois Lane for 5 years and not even tell her where he's going, especially if he was sleeping with her.

7) Lex has access to alien technology thousands of years more advanced (and supposedly had Jor'el fill him on how to use it all), yet all he can think to do with it is toss the stuff in the water and grow a new continent?

8) For Lois to have a child where her current fiance would conceivably think that he was the father, then she would've had to have been screwing this guy at the same time she was screwing Superman.

Leafblighter wrote:I'm a huge superman fan, but so many things distracted me from enjoying the movie fully. I thought the writing was piss poor (plot-wise, not dialogue-wise). Here are (more than) a few things that really bothered me:

1) Lex Luthor marries some rich chick, gets her to sign a will on her death bed, and then the entire family just rolls over while he claims everything as his own? There would be probate, court battles, etc. Just witness the current Anna Nicole Smith debacle.

2) Why are the kryptonians incapable of building a spaceship that can freakin land? It makes a little more sense that it would crash when he was a baby, but for god's sakes he's a grown man in this thing. He should've landed it or punched out and flown down to earth.

3) Why in the hell was he wearing glasses as a kid?

4) The effects of kryptonite were so inconsistent. Apparently if he walks on it, Lex Luthor can beat him up. But if he carries it on his shoulders, he can still boost a whole freakin continent into space (with a shard of it inside of him, no less). Yeah... THAT makes sense.

5) The whole hospital thing was retarded. The moment that last kryptonite was out of his body, he would've started healing and his coma would be gone in about 30 seconds flat. Just witness how quickly he recovered in the sea plane.

6) It is completely out of character for Superman to ditch Lois Lane for 5 years and not even tell her where he's going, especially if he was sleeping with her.

7) Lex has access to alien technology thousands of years more advanced (and supposedly had Jor'el fill him on how to use it all), yet all he can think to do with it is toss the stuff in the water and grow a new continent?

8) For Lois to have a child where her current fiance would conceivably think that he was the father, then she would've had to have been screwing this guy at the same time she was screwing Superman.

I agree with just about ALL of this and was thinking the same thing. Luthor is supposed to be a super genius. Everything Superman has in terms of strength and powers, is matched by Luthor in intelligence and complete lack of caring for life. For someone like that to inherit millions (even if we let the court battles slide) and only come up with "drop crystal in ocean and watch it grow" is about as lame as you can get. I was expecting MUCH more from the character especially with Spacey (one of my favorite actors) playing the part. If you get ALL of the knowledge of Krypton and give it to a man like Lex, I would expect something much more complex than "drop crystal in ocean".

Yes, the effects of Kryptonite seem inconsistent. They should have taken notes from the show Smallville. For a tv budget, they pay attention to every single detail.

I have to disagree with you on how their ships land. If you were to try to drop a spacecraft off on Earth today, it would be pretty damn hard to go unnoticed. You may be unaware of it, but our US military has flying objects on lock down. Without looking like a falling rock, you would get tracked down.

Yes, the hospital scene was stupid. However, I guess that was the only way they could think of for Lois to tell him the kid was his.

Professor X wrote:Leafblighter wrote:I'm a huge superman fan, but so many things distracted me from enjoying the movie fully. I thought the writing was piss poor (plot-wise, not dialogue-wise). Here are (more than) a few things that really bothered me:

1) Lex Luthor marries some rich chick, gets her to sign a will on her death bed, and then the entire family just rolls over while he claims everything as his own? There would be probate, court battles, etc. Just witness the current Anna Nicole Smith debacle.

2) Why are the kryptonians incapable of building a spaceship that can freakin land? It makes a little more sense that it would crash when he was a baby, but for god's sakes he's a grown man in this thing. He should've landed it or punched out and flown down to earth.

3) Why in the hell was he wearing glasses as a kid?

4) The effects of kryptonite were so inconsistent. Apparently if he walks on it, Lex Luthor can beat him up. But if he carries it on his shoulders, he can still boost a whole freakin continent into space (with a shard of it inside of him, no less). Yeah... THAT makes sense.

5) The whole hospital thing was retarded. The moment that last kryptonite was out of his body, he would've started healing and his coma would be gone in about 30 seconds flat. Just witness how quickly he recovered in the sea plane.

6) It is completely out of character for Superman to ditch Lois Lane for 5 years and not even tell her where he's going, especially if he was sleeping with her.

7) Lex has access to alien technology thousands of years more advanced (and supposedly had Jor'el fill him on how to use it all), yet all he can think to do with it is toss the stuff in the water and grow a new continent?

8) For Lois to have a child where her current fiance would conceivably think that he was the father, then she would've had to have been screwing this guy at the same time she was screwing Superman.

I agree with just about ALL of this and was thinking the same thing. Luthor is supposed to be a super genius. Everything Superman has in terms of strength and powers, is matched by Luthor in intelligence and complete lack of caring for life. For someone like that to inherit millions (even if we let the court battles slide) and only come up with "drop crystal in ocean and watch it grow" is about as lame as you can get. I was expecting MUCH more from the character especially with Spacey (one of my favorite actors) playing the part. If you get ALL of the knowledge of Krypton and give it to a man like Lex, I would expect something much more complex than "drop crystal in ocean".

Yes, the effects of Kryptonite seem inconsistent. They should have taken notes from the show Smallville. For a tv budget, they pay attention to every single detail.

I have to disagree with you on how their ships land. If you were to try to drop a spacecraft off on Earth today, it would be pretty damn hard to go unnoticed. You may be unaware of it, but our US military has flying objects on lock down. Without looking like a falling rock, you would get tracked down.

Yes, the hospital scene was stupid. However, I guess that was the only way they could think of for Lois to tell him the kid was his.

Good points Leafblighter.

And good point Prof X about the govt being able to track down the flying versus falling spaceship.

One other thing that bothered me was after Lex dropped the first crystal in the ocean. After this they took off in a helicopter which somehow managed to stay operational after the crystal began to take effect in the water. Compared to the complete shut down of the airplace and spacecraft that occured from the relatively tiny first incident, NOTHING happened to Lex's helicopter after he took off from the boat. This makes no sense.

In any case, I found the movie quite enjoyable and though Routh did a good job. I'm not exactally sure what you mean by him appearing too soft, X. Can you elaborate?

In any case, I found the movie quite enjoyable and though Routh did a good job. I'm not exactally sure what you mean by him appearing too soft, X. Can you elaborate?

-MAtt

Physically, it looked like he did put some quality gym time in. While I would still expect him to be bigger, I won't complain about that aspect much. What I mean is he still looked a little "dorky". Maybe it was the hair or the obvious overapplication of movie makeup. I kept wondering what Christian Bale would look like standing right next to him and I can only picture Superman completely screwing up how "badass" Batman looked.

I'm a little mixed on the movie myself. I think all in all it's a "good" movie, but not "great". I like the fact that it does continue the storyline with the first two, and doesn't touch those last two "horror" movies III and IV.

I thought the guy who plays Jimmie Olsen was awesome, I really liked his acting. Even though it was a small part, I thought the guy did well.

Lex's character... I thought he was definitely more sinister in this one, and I like Spacey a lot, but I have to agree with Prof. X that Michael Rosenbaum from Smallville plays Lex much better. All in all though I can't complain too much about him. He did seem to be dumbed down a bit, but to what purpose I don't know. At times it seems like Lex is relying on his henchmen too much, especially the East Indian guy (sorry, don't know his name), almost like he's looking for approval based on the way the film was shot.

Superman/Clark... I think Routh did pretty well all in all, dispite my previous misgivings. I think they overly applied make-up to him on some of the close-ups... which made him look really soft, and almost feminine. In the beginning of the movie he seemed really awkward, and did seem to "grow" into the roll more by the end of the movie. He did seem to have the flying down so it actually seemed like he was flying vs. just suspended from wires like other movies.

Lois lane... just didn't seem "old" enough or mature enough. I thought Kate Bosworth did an ok job, but she just didn't seem as gritty as was previously mentioned.

The storyline with the kid, that completely threw me off! I had a feeling at the beginning of the movie that it was his, but until the Piano scene... wow! I wasn't sure though, considering the kid's on a whole bunch of meds. Plus the story is set where he's really intelligent, but not physically up to par based on his report card. It does make me wonder though what type of "spin-off" they plan on doing. Not to disrespect the memory of Chris Reeves, but him getting paralyzed tubed the franchise. At least with the kid's possible super powers, the studio would be able to have another "superman/boy" show if something does happen to Routh, or he doesn't sign up for another film, etc.

My only gripe though, is that the confrontation with Superman and Lex was a little short, as well as saving Metropolis from the fissure's. I also think the "You took 5 years away from me" wasn't fully flushed out. In the book (read it before seeing the movie), it says that Lex contrived the whole story about Krypton being "alive" and that he did it to get back at Superman. I think the movie didn't elaborate well enough on this.

The superman suit... that was MUCH better than the still photo's. I also thought the flying sequences were great and really helped make Superman believable. With the opening "return" and the shuttle sequence... wow! It was amazing! But with the end sequence and lifting up the grown "island"... I too wonder about the Kryptonite. It could be argued that he couldn't feel it due to the dirt covering it... but he gets his ass kicked easily when he's in the grown fortress... yet when he's under it, he can lift it into space? What gives?

I'm happy with it all in all, just a few minor points that make me go "hmm" I would give it a B+.

During the movie I was actually thinking Lois' fiance (James Marsden, I think?) would've made a pretty good Superman. Overall, I was pleased with Brandon Routh, although I do agree that he had way too much make-up on. He looked like he belonged in a coffin at a funeral parlor, and I really don't see the need for it.

It's funny, but as I become older, kindler, and gentler, I tend to observe the reaction of my son to rekindle that feeling of "wonder".

This movie for example: my son's eyes were WIDE open everytime he saw supes flying, rescueing the airplane, lifting up cars, etc. He was in awe. He normally doesn't sit well at movies and gets bored easily. Not yesterday at this movie.

Me, as a jaded adult, would have tended to EXPECT good special effects and be overly critical of the little stuff. Not so the little guy. That sense of wonder is...well, wonderful.

There was also something about this superman that appealed to him as well. When the little boy in the movie (supe's son) said "...I like him.." in reference to supes, my son said the same thing out loud, eliciting some kind laughter in the theatre.

Professor X wrote:Overall, I liked what Singer did. Routhe still looked soft though as far as his overall look, but at least they made flying look better than it has been done before. I was kind of worried after seeing the Matrix sequels. I didn't know how they would top that. Apparently, the key is to actually make it more graceful.

I saw on TV that they did this by having Routh push off the wall in a pool and film him. They also pulled him through there with a rope, and had him twist and turn, etc.

v10hanz wrote:Lex's character... I thought he was definitely more sinister in this one, and I like Spacey a lot, but I have to agree with Prof. X that Michael Rosenbaum from Smallville plays Lex much better.

~V

Gotta disagree on this one point. For me Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor was the pinnacle. On Smallville- Lionel Luthor is a much more compelling character than Lex. But- to each their own.

Otherwise- I enjoyed the flick- was a bit disappointed with the movie climax- I was hoping for a bit more interaction between Superman and Lex and maybe a more dynamic finish than Superman launching a huge rock into space. It would also have been cool if Superman dropped by to see Lex on the deserted island- and then flew off without saving him.

MODOK wrote:I thought Lois looked more like a High School newspaper editor.

I agree completely. Her character just didn't fit at all, at least not into what Lois should actually be like. I can respect what Samurai said about how his kid responded...and I guess that is what matters most. However, I feel they fell short in those areas listed above.

Gene Hackman did an OK Lex Luthor for the late 70's and 80's. That character has grown a lot in the comics since then and Smallville's Lionel Luthor has truly taken it to a whole other level of cunning, planning and simply being able to outsmart nearly everyone. They added none of this to the movie and we ended up with the same old quirky fumbling Lex Luthor. It just didn't fit. I like Spacey...and therefore I was expecting them to really let him loose. Maybe they just didn't want to make it 3 whole hours.

I'm trying to tread lightly here, because I don't know my Superman very well. But there's something I'm wondering in regards to Kryptonite. Does Kryptonite work in a progressive manner on Superman? Or is it an instant effect on him that makes him lose all of his powers?

The reason I ask is that the only explanation I can think of for the "island lifting" is the scene directly before that where he returned to the sunlight for a bit. Is it possible that they were trying to pass off the fact that he was so "supercharged" from that sun exposure that it allowed him to be near the Kryptonite just long enough to get the island to outerspace? And that it was draining him, but (in all of the glory of the movies) he was able to stand it just long enough to get the island out of the atmosphere? Like I said, I don't really know how Kryptonite works...

I guess that's the good thing about writing Batman, in that he's just a regular, fucked-up-in-the-head guy who doesn't really rely on anything but gadgets. Things always seem to get hairy when super powers come into question. Strict lines are hard to draw sometimes.

There have been a lot of inconsistencies pointed, though, and they are all valid. Looks like they should have put a little more time into making sure things "fit".